Tom Leaver records three shots for the Ravens

MANCHESTER, N.H. (November 9, 2012) -- The Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team saw its 2012 season come to a frustrating end on Friday night as the Ravens dropped a bitter 1-0 decision to Merrimack in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament, held on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H. The Ravens, seeded sixth in Super Region I, concluded their season with an 11-6-2 record, while third-seeded Merrimack improved to 15-3-2.

Franklin Pierce outshot the Warriors, 14-1, throughout the contest, including putting seven shots on goal. The Ravens held Merrimack without a shot up until the 85th minute, but the Warriors capitalized when given the opportunity as they sent their first and only attempt into the back of the net for the winning tally.

The goal was scored off a corner-kick attempt as Augusto Silva sent a high, arching shot towards the box which evaded multiple Franklin Pierce defenders and landed on the foot of Alejandro Fuchs, who ripped a strike to the lower right corner of the net past a diving Franklin Pierce goalkeeper Jake Wright (Los Angeles, Calif.).

Franklin Pierce tried to rally in the final minutes and did force the pace of play deep into Merrimack territory, but could not come up with the equalizer as the Warriors pulled out their third 1-0 triumph over the Ravens this season.

Freshman midfielder Nico Mueller (Mannheim, Germany) led Franklin Pierce with a match-high five shots, including putting four of those on goal.

Franklin Pierce dominated play in the first half, owning a 10-0 edge in shots. However, the Ravens could not buy a goal as two shots rang off the post and two more were stopped on the goal line with outstanding saves by Merrimack keeper Jose Silva, who improved to 14-3-2 with the win.

The Ravens had a couple of opportunities early in the second half, but those prime scoring chances faded away as the period wore on before Merrimack scored the clinching goal.
Merrimack advanced to Sunday's second round where it will face second-seeded Southern New Hampshire at 3 p.m. Franklin Pierce was making its 10th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men's soccer, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce men's soccer apparel can do so on the athletic department's online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)